Indoor pool will be named for Edward T. Hall
PRINCE FREDERICK, MD - When it opens sometime next spring, Calvert’s long-anticipated indoor swimming pool will be named in honor of one of the county’s memorable 20th century political and business leaders.
On Aug. 25, the Calvert Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted unanimously to name the facility the Edward T. Hall Aquatic Center.
The 41,152-square-foot building, located at Auto Drive - North Prince Frederick Boulevard, has been under construction since last September. The estimated cost of the entire project is nearly $20 million.
Hall, a county native who co-founded the Calvert Independent in 1940, served in the Maryland Senate from 1958 until his death in 1978.
A Republican, Hall served as senate minority leader for over a decade and was the leading member of the Governor’s Committee to Promote Employment for the Handicapped.
“The old-timers know exactly who Ed Hall was,” said Commissioner Barbara A. Stinnett [D]. “He was the man who hired the handicapped. He recognized the individual.”
Noting that Calvert’s population has almost tripled in the years since Hall’s passing, Stinnett predicted the naming of the aquatic center assures that “those who did not know him will know who he was.”
“He was extremely respected across the state,” said Commissioner Susan Shaw [R].
Despite his 20 years of service as a state lawmaker, no tangible memorial to Hall, such as a building or road, exists in Calvert.
“It’s something that’s long overdue,” said Commissioner Linda L. Kelley [R], whose arrival in Calvert occurred a few years after Hall died. “I wish I had known him.”
“He was a great individual,” said Javit Ersoy, Hall’s great-nephew, who brought pictures of his uncle to show the BOCC. One of the pictures was Hall with fellow Republican and future president Ronald Reagan. “He was always happy. He was a very charismatic person.”
Of the BOCC’s decision to name the aquatic center in Hall’s honor, Ersoy stated, “it’s going to be pretty nostalgic for a lot of folks.”
“Let’s honor my Uncle Ed,” said Charlotte Ersoy of Prince Frederick, Hall’s niece.
Commissioners’ President Wilson H. Parran [D] admitted that the BOCC has adhered to a policy of not naming buildings after people. In spring 2008, the BOCC quietly vetoed a plan by Ann’s Circle, the organization providing stewardship to the county-owned Annmarie Garden in Solomons, to name a multi-purpose building after a former county resident.
“If you are going to name a building after someone in Calvert County, it should be named for Edward T. Hall,” said Parran. The BOCC president recalled Hall’s practice of awarding scholarships to outstanding students in the county.
“He was a good gentleman,” said Commissioner Gerald W. “Jerry” Clark [R], who stated he had met Hall on occasions but did not get to know him well.
Stinnett indicated that Hall’s advocacy for the physically challenged makes him the perfect individual to have the aquatic center named in his honor.
In addition to containing a 10-lane, 50-meter pool, the facility will also have a therapy pool, a leisure pool and a spa. Calvert Memorial Hospital is expected to utilize the indoor facility to expand its wellness programs.
The aquatic center will include mezzanine seating for swim meet spectators. Currently, Calvert’s scholastic swimming teams must go to out-of-county facilities to practice and compete.
The pool will also be equipped with several geothermal components, which are expected to save the county money on heating and cooling.
The construction project is being done by local contractor J.A. Scheibel Inc.
E-mail Marty Madden at editorial@calvertindependent.com.
The Calvert Independent
